i have 5 dogs. 3 are 15 months, one is 3yrs and one is about 11yrs. theyve all been eating purina puppy chow and i think its time to graduate. but to what? theres 'healthy morsels' or 'dog chow'. by reading about each there really seems to be no difference? i didnt know if it mattered which one was their next step and what the difference really was.
all 5 are very active and if their weight and breeds make any difference....the 15 m/o's are maybe 70lbs, mixed breeds (jack russel terrior/retriever/lab/pitt/german shepard)...the 3y/o is about 50-60lbs, shelti/german shepard, shes the mother of the 3 puppies...and the senior dog is a welsh corgi, not sure of his weight.
2006-09-04 20:12:12 · 5 answers · asked by J 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
you should have had them off of the pupy chow a long time ago, with the exception of the 15 m/o's, then about 3 months ago for them. purina used to have a jimgle about puppy chow..."puppy chow for the first year, til he's full grown" then onto regular dog food. but since you have been feeding them all puppy chow for the beneift of the "puppies", now would be a ti
e to start thinking about the old ones.
we have a shepherd/chow mix that we just had to put on vegeterian dog food because of kidney failure, he is 12 years old, and his kidneys are operating at 25% bvecause of eating regular dog food. the vet told us that the vegeterian dog food will extend his life about 1/3 longer than had we kept on with his regular food.
just something to think about.
2006-09-04 20:18:22 · answer #1 · answered by daddysboicub 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
most dog foods are the same nomatter what. All the puppy chow does is gives them more nutrients then the other stuff so you need no supplementing. I keep all my dogs on puppy formulas, and about one bag a month i get special dinner adult dog food, to give them a switch up (great for liver and kidnies) and then back to the puppy formula, trust me, keep them on that and you'll see no problems and an extended life more than likely. and also, the cheap stuff is not much different then the expensive, so don't feel bad about going for what's cheaper, unless they don't like it.
If you decide to go to a vet remember one thing, they tell you what's going to make them the best money and what works *to the best extent that works for the pet and them* and putting them on a bit of wet food isn't that bad of an idea either aslong as it's regular, not to mess up their bowels or intestinal tract, their very touchy that way. Also, don't go by how much it says you can feed them on the bag, unless they have an eating disorder, because dogs are all different, it's best to free feed. I would make sure their bowls are full all the time if i were you.
Take care
2006-09-04 20:23:42 · answer #2 · answered by ~*~SpitFire~*~ 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Have you tried Beneful it has alot of vegetables and alot of dogs really like it, keep the puppies and pregnant dogs on puppy food but change the other dogs, you can feed by weight or size small dogs 1/2 cup twice a day, medium dogs 1 cup twice a day, and large dogs 2 cups twice a day. You can also go on line with a dog food company and find out which food would be the next one to go to, or call your vet or a vet and ask them for help.
2006-09-04 20:20:47 · answer #3 · answered by edna h 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Find a dog food with high protein in it. It is good for their coats too.
2006-09-05 01:11:57 · answer #4 · answered by CJ 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
NEVER should have been using that "puppy" CRAP at ALL!!!
JUST a marketing ploy!!!
Any decent brand of DRY***ADULT*** feed is FINE!
Don't waste money on "fad" junk.
2006-09-05 00:30:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋